Daughter
by JolinarJackson
Summary: Chapter 2 now up: "You're planning … a mutiny?" Chloe asked in disbelief.
1. Chapter 1

**Daughter**

_Summary: _She couldn't do anything here … she was useless … and she was getting desperate because of it. That was her problem. She was useless.

_Pairing:_ Chloe/Matt (mentioned)_  
Rating:_ PG_  
Spoiler: Air_,_ Light_,_ Earth  
Setting:_ between _Light_ and _Time__  
Beta:_ sheneya – thank you!

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Stargate Universe_ and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

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She missed her small apartment in Washington, her large couch and her bed in particular. She missed her job which was always a challenge without making her the centre of attention. Chloe missed her mother, her friends and of course her father. Sometimes, she sat in front of the shuttle in which she had lost him for hours, listening to music or just thinking. She had always been able to talk to him, had always had a better relationship to him than her mother and she believed that he was still listening to her.

Matt had nodded, smiling sadly, when she'd told him about this theory. Then he'd told her about his parents and the priest, who'd raised him and that he was visiting the graves of the three only people who had ever been interested in him on a regular basis, just talking to them. Chloe had never been very Christian or very religious at all. She'd never believed in an afterlife.

But she'd never believed in aliens or spaceships either. The life on the _Destiny_ overtaxed her in a way she had trouble coping with.

She was used to a tough job, the aggressive press, the boring receptions in the White House and the long nights in front of the computer to prepare election campaigns.

She couldn't do anything here … she was useless … and she was getting desperate because of it.

That was her problem. She was useless.

She wasn't a scientist or soldier, it was her first offworld visit, she didn't have any survival training. She was the daughter of the senator, no more, no less. She'd felt so out of place after her father's death, so alone that it had hurt.

Then there was Eli.

He seemed to feel out of place also, although he was a scientist. Chloe knew, that the others didn't accept him because of his young age and they were full of mistrust because of Eli's good relationship with Colonel Young. To make matters worse, he was insecure when dealing with people unless it had something to do with maths.

Chloe had always been a little shy too, unless she was working.

With Eli, she found somebody she could talk to and who seemed to understand her. She could also talk with Matt but he was always distracted and he had his priorities straight - his job came first, then Chloe.

She was not angry because of that - after all, she'd left her old life, her friends and her boyfriend because of her job - but she knew that she could find a considerably more attentive listener in Eli. There was a difference, too, whether she spoke with her boyfriend or with her best friend. She didn't talk about the nightmares with Matt, she had the feeling that she would only make matters worse for him.

Since they'd thought that _Destiny_ would fly straight into a sun, Chloe was tormented by the idea how death would have felt. Rush's words only made the ideas worse and sometimes, Chloe wished she'd never asked him how they would die.

When she woke up bathed in sweat, tears in her eyes and trembling in her far too cold quarters, she didn't go to Matt. He was feeling guilty enough for leaving her on the _Destiny_ while he was rescuing himself. She couldn't tell him about the nightmares, they would only make matters worse for him.

Chloe left her bed, once more wishing that Rush would finally get a grip on the heating system. It was warm in the gateroom, on the observation deck and in the canteen but most of the accommodations and labs were cold.

Chloe shivered and quickly put her shirt and the trousers on before she wrapped herself into her thin fleece jacket and coat. The bright pink of the coat was stained with dirt and scabby dust. She kept it for the days she was really cold but mostly, she settled for the fleece jacket which she'd brought to the _Icarus_ base in her travel bag.

She was glad that her bag had found the way to the _Destiny_ during the evacuation by chance, maybe because it had still lain in the gateroom when the attack had started and simply was thrown through the puddle. She gave a couple of jeans and tops to scientists whose clothes had been torn up during the flight, only holding onto the jacket, two trousers and two tops for herself.

Chloe let her fingers brush over the rough substance of the coat, thinking of her father who'd given it to her. Then she opened her door and left the room.

In space was always night. The group had established a day rhythm which was adhered to by everybody.

Since it was officially night at the moment, there was nobody in the corridors or in the canteen. Two soldiers would be sitting in the gateroom, guarding it, and TJ would be sleeping in the infirmary, always ready to help. Chloe suspected that Rush was also still awake, working in the control room. Normally, Eli could be found with him but Chloe knew that at the moment, he'd be asleep in his room.

Sleep seemed to be one of the things that Eli could only do without in an extreme situation and since _Destiny_ was flying safely in FTL at the moment, there weren't in danger.

Eli's accommodation was the KINO room.

Chloe couldn't really understand his fascination with the small cameras but she liked the documentation he was making. Every time he cut new material into it, she watched it. Out of boredom, she'd started to write the Voice-Over to the pictures which would give the film the last kick as soon as they got back to Earth. It gave her something to do and she was a professional with neutral texts.

She came out of her thoughts when she heard steps coming towards her. Greer turned around the corner, coming from the canteen in full gear, apparently making his nightly round. He frowned when he saw her. "Miss Armstrong," he said.

Chloe nodded at him, forcing herself to smile. She didn't particularly like Greer, he intimidated her without ever having threatened her. He was always polite to her, to every woman on board in fact, it was the men who contradicted or irritated him, that he got into brawls with.

Chloe had heard of his lacking self-control and of Wray's aversion towards him. She seemed to think that he was too unstable. Chloe was willing to believe her whenever she looked into his eyes. Something was waiting in there, he didn't seem to be too bad however, since he didn't like Spencer, who Chloe hated, mainly because of the way he looked at the women, and because of the threatening stares he sent Eli's way.

"Are y'all right, Miss?" Greer asked, pressing his weapon against his chest, carefully pointing it to the floor.

"Fine," she answered, "I'm on my way to see Eli."

"I'll accompany you," Greer suggested.

"That's not necessary." Chloe shook her head.

"It's my pleasure, Miss."

Chloe hesitated for a moment, then she nodded and walked down the corridor beside him.

"We have no idea what's still waiting for us on this ship. It isn't very smart to be out alone at night, Miss."

Chloe had the vague feeling that Greer meant the word Miss rather mockingly than respectful. As if he wanted to call her Missy.

"I think this area's secure. We've been here for days," she replied with a cool tone and Greer grinned.

"Says Rush. I wouldn't trust 'im."

"Who says that I do?"

"Just sayin', Miss."

They arrived in the corridor in which Eli's quarters were situated, and Greer stopped. "Night, Miss Armstrong."

She nodded at him, but he only left when Chloe had arrived at Eli's door.

Chloe had tried to convince Eli to move into another room. His door was stuck like those of several rooms on this level. Nobody knew why the mechanisms were wedged, the doors simply stood open constantly. Eli had said no, he preferred the KINOs to another room and when Chloe had argued that somebody could just come in and steal his laptop, he had shown her a KINO in a ventilation shaft that was watching the room.

It wasn't too dark in the room, a dim light came from the console and from the corridor, allowing Chloe to safely navigate without stumbling over Eli's shoes, empty cups and bowls. Eli's room was a glaring contrast to Chloe's. Where she was overly orderly, he was chaotic and where she had a double bed, he had made room for his sleeping bag on a broad wall projection.

Chloe leant over her friend, shaking his shoulder. "Eli?"

"Hm?" he asked. Then he sighed, turning onto his back. "They canceled, mom," he muttered in his sleep, "It wasn't my thing anyway."

"Eli."

He opened sleepy eyes. "Chloe?" He sat up, looking at her in concern. "You okay?" She nodded, then she shook her head. "Nightmare?" he asked.

Chloe sat down on the empty space beside Eli's knees and propped her elbows up on her thighs. "Yeah."

"Are you cold?"

She nodded and Eli lifted the sleeping bag up which he was using as a blanket. "C'mere."

She glanced at him hesitantly and he rolled his eyes. "No funny ulterior motives."

Chloe nodded, she got up and took off her coat, then she crept under the sleeping-bag and slipped closer to Eli when he made room for her. It was warm and more comfortable than Chloe would have suspected and she put her head on Eli's shoulder and an arm around his chest. She could feel his breath and hear his heartbeat and though she had the feeling that it was beating a little too fast - as if he was excited or nervous - it was calming. "How bad?" Eli asked and his voice was sounding strangely rough.

"Bad," she said. The tiredness came back with the warmth. She wondered for a second whether she was cheating on Matt in some way when she was cuddling up to Eli like this, but she didn't think so. Eli was a friend - the best she'd ever had. No more and no less.

"I'm having them, too," Eli answered.

"What are they about?" Chloe asked.

Eli put an arm around her, sighing deeply. "Home, mom's certainly upset about me not being with her."

"What happens?" Chloe asked.

Eli hesitated for a second, his heartbeat speeding up, then it was beating slower and when he spoke, Chloe knew that he was leaving something out. "She gets sick."

Chloe nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I'm dreaming about my mom sometimes, too, she's crying because of dad."

"I had those kind of dreams when I was a teenager."

"Did your dad die?" Chloe asked cautiously.

"No, he left. Mom was … crying for weeks, she had … problems during that time. She'd lost her job because of something … that wasn't her fault."

"That's sad," Chloe said.

"Yeah. But she got a new job and -- everything was getting better. Well, it was never the same again, of course." He got quiet and Chloe was silent also. Apart from their breaths, only the quiet humming of the FTL drive could be heard.

Chloe closed her eyes. "We should get some sleep."

"Yeah," Eli answered.

"Thank you for listening," Chloe whispered.

"You're welcome," he answered.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, she felt a kiss brush her forehead and she smiled.

END

JJ 01/10


	2. Chapter 2

**Daughter**

_Word Count: _1.012

_Summary: _"You're planning … a mutiny?" Chloe asked in disbelief.

_Characters: _Chloe Armstrong, Nicholas Rush

_Pairing__: _Chloe/Matt (hinted)

_Rating:_ PG_  
Spoiler: Justice, Space, Divided  
Setting:_ just before _Divided  
Author's Note: _Written for the sgu_challenge prompt_ #17 – Count Down_.

_Feedback:_ Can't breathe without it.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-show _Stargate Universe_ and the characters appearing within it belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

XXX

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She knew that it wasn't real. There was a voice inside her head telling her that she was free, on board the _Destiny_, with Matt. Nevertheless, Chloe Armstrong woke up bathed in sweat every night, a scream on her lips and tears in her eyes. Sometimes Matt startled awake too.

Sometimes, like tonight, he didn't. Chloe got dressed and left her quarters. It didn't really matter, Matt was always telling her the same either way. She was fed up with his words of reassurance.

"_You're back. Everything's alright. They're gone."_

She knew that she was back on board the _Destiny_. Nothing was alright. And they weren't gone.

Chloe knew instinctively that the aliens were still there. It was like she saw them out of the corner of her eye. They were just outside the range of _Destiny_'s sensors. Waiting.

She found Rush in the mess hall, like every night. His hands were wrapped around a mug filled with water. Maybe he was imagining that there was coffee in it warming his hands. Chloe did sometimes.

She sat down opposite him and he raised his head. Pale, exhausted and shaken. "The same dream?" he asked. Chloe nodded. He sighed. "Yes. Me too." His eyes were dark, haunted.

Suddenly, Chloe knew that her instincts were right. "It's not over yet, is it?" She wondered when she'd become Rush's ally. She wondered when she'd started to feel safe on board the _Destiny_. But she only knew when that feeling of safety had been torn away.

"No," Rush answered. His answer made everything a bit more real. Rush wasn't the kind of guy who was easily intimidated by a gut instinct or a hunch.

Chloe was curious though. "Why do you say that?"

He grimaced, squinted and massaged his forehead. "They implanted me with a tracking device."

Chloe stared at him, not understanding what he was saying. He put a hand on his chest and smiled helplessly. "They tagged me."

Chloe looked at his chest and when she finally understood what his words meant for all of them, she cried out, "We have to tell the colonel!"

"Sh!" he answered and grabbed er arm. "Miss Armstrong-"

"They're gonna find us."

"I'm already trying to find a solution."

"The colonel-"

"Young won't give me a chance, Chloe."

She shook her head – not understanding what he was implying. "What?"

Rush let her go and folded his hands. "There wasn't a rockslide. He left me behind."

Chloe shook her head in disbelief. Not Young. That wasn't true. She trusted the colonel. He was the one who was boosting the crew's morale and he was doing everything in his might to get them home.

Rush shrugged. "I knew that Eli wouldn't tell anybody."

"Eli knew?" Chloe asked numbly. Her best friend – gentle, friendly and sweet – knew that …

"Not before it happened, no," Rush said hastily. "Young told everyone the same lie but I'm pretty sure that Eli connected the dots after Young returned alone."

"Why would the colonel do that?" Chloe asked. Rush shrugged. It wasn't a secret that the men couldn't stand each other and, until now, Chloe had always been on Young's side. But if he really …

"Miss Armstrong," Rush said and his voice got soft and insistent, "Miss Wray, myself and some of the others think that things should change."

Chloe looked at him. She frowned. "What?"

"The civilians should have the command … you are an educated intelligent young lady. You have to know that military dictatorships never end well."

"What are you going to do?" Chloe asked – curious but sceptical.

Rush looked at her attentively as if he wanted to gauge her reaction to his next words carefully. "We'll take the ship."

Chloe opened her mouth but no words were coming forth. He nodded as if to confirm his words.

"You're planning … a mutiny?" Chloe asked in disbelief. "The colonel won't let that happen."

"We're taking measures to ensure that he's got no other choice. It can't go on like it is now," Rush answered. "You can't tell me that you're happy."

Chloe hesitated.

"We don't want to hurt anybody. We just want to be more than the military's guests on board. I mean, we are the ones who fix the _Destiny_, repair the damages and explore the ship," Rush said and Chloe could see his point. "We're going to transfer control to another room. We need your help," Rush continued.

"I'm not a scientist," Chloe said hesitantly. "I'm sure Eli-"

"Eli," Rush said. "He's dangerous."

Chloe laughed. "Eli?"

"He's Young's little soldier. We need you to stop the boy from interfering with our plan."

"What do you want me to do?" Chloe asked. Eli meant a lot to her. She didn't want to hurt or betray him.

Rush shrugged. "We don't know when we'll get the opportunity to take over the controls. But you have to stop him from fighting us."

Chloe crossed her arms. "You want me to distract him."

"I want you to spend time with him."

That, she could do, Chloe thought. If she would do it at all. She was still hesitating, feeling like a traitor.

"Did he really leave you behind?" she asked. Rush nodded. Chloe bit her lip. She didn't know what to do. Her head told her to report Rush but her heart told her that she was frowning about the dismissive way the soldiers handled the civilians for some time now. "Nobody will get hurt?"

"Promise."

"Okay," she said slowly. If Rush should break his promise, if something would go wrong, she figured that she could still do something about it.

"When?"

Rush leant back in his chair. "I don't know yet." He smiled. "But the countdown's running."

END

08/10


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